Pinyin Syllable
Chinese characters pronounced nei
Learn common Chinese characters pronounced nei, including 那 nǎ / nà / nèi, 内 nèi, 哪 nǎ / na / něi. Compare tones, meanings, traditional forms, words…
How to Pronounce This Syllable
To say nei, lead with the initial n, then flow without a break into the final ei, holding the tone across the whole syllable.
Initial n
Start the syllable on the initial n, then run straight into the final ei — keep them joined instead of sounding out separate English letters.
Final ei
Settle the final ei into a steady mouth shape first, then lay the tone on top.
Study Tip
Start with the most common characters (那 nǎ / nà / nèi, 内 nèi, 哪 nǎ / na / něi) and lock in their tones. 3 common characters share the sound nei, so lean on words to tell the rest apart.
Learn by Tone
nei turns up here with 2 different tones; a change of tone usually means a different character, so the groups below are split by tone.
3rd tone
Taking the 3rd tone here: 那, 哪 (2 in total). Lock this tone in your ear before the meaning.
4th tone
Taking the 4th tone here: 内 (1 in total). Lock this tone in your ear before the meaning.
Common Words With This Sound
Seeing nei inside whole words makes it clear which character is meant — here are common ones.
Characters
3 common characters in this group.